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some ukulele info to get you started... | ||||
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Ukulele sizes...
Soprano -
The soprano was the original size and is the most common. It has a 13" (33 cm) scale length and is usually about 21" (53 cm) total length.
Soprano size ukuleles are generally tuned GCEA with the G-string tuned an octave up (re-entrant) so it’s pitched between the E and A-strings. G-4, C-3, E-2, A-1, with the top string, the one you see first when looking down at your instrument being the G or 4th string.
Concert -
The concert size has a 15" (38 cm) scale length and is usually about 23" (58 cm) total length. The frets are similar in spacing to that of a soprano with larger body for a richer sound.
Concert size ukuleles are generally tuned GCEA with the G-string tuned an octave up (re-entrant) so it’s pitched between the E and A-strings. G-4, C-3, E-2, A-1, with the top string, the one you see first when looking down at your instrument being the G or 4th string.
Tenor -
The tenor size has a 17" (43 cm) scale length and is usually about 26" (66 cm) total length. On a tenor, the strings may be doubled: six strings (where first and third strings are doubled) or eight strings (where all four strings are doubled).
Tenor ukuleles are generally tuned GCEA as the soprano and concert sizes. However, it can also be tuned the same as the Baritone.
Baritone -
The baritone size has a 19" (48 cm) scale length and is usually about 30" (76 cm) total length.
Baritone size ukuleles which were invented in the 1940s at the request of Arthur Godfrey, is usually tuned like the top four strings of a guitar, D-G-B-E.
A little ukulele history...
This is only a tidbit of info on the ukulele. There are many great song books and reference books out there with heaps of information about the ukulele's history, pioneers, musicians and luthiers. Check out Jumpin' Jim's The Ukulele (A Visual History) - 2nd Edition under "song books" in the product pages of ukewarehouse.com.
The ukulele is commonly associated with music from Hawaii where the name roughly translates to "jumping flea". The interesting thing is that there are many versions of why it is called the ukulele or "jumping flea", the most common being that the appearance of the players left hand jumping around the fretboard resembles a jumping flea. Another is that it is actually named after player of the machete in the early 1900’s, Edward Purvis. Edward Purvis had the nickname of ukulele because of his slight build in relation to the Hawaiian people, some said he resembled a "jumping flea" compared to those around him in Hawaii. Check out John King’s research on the subject at
www.nalu-music.com/die-verwandlung.The men generally credited with making the first ukuleles emigrated from Madeira to the Hawaiian Islands aboard the British ship Ravenscrag in 1879: Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias.
The ukulele was popularized on the mainland during the Pan Pacific Exposition held for most of 1915 in San Francisco. At the exposition the Hawaiian Pavilion featured a guitar and ukulele ensemble, George E. K. Awai and his Royal Hawaiian Quartette, along with ukulele maker and player Jonah Kumalae. The popularity of the ensemble with visitors launched a fad for Hawaiian-themed songs among Tin Pan Alley songwriters. The ukulele became an icon of the Jazz age. This highly portable and relatively inexpensive instrument also proved popular with amateur players throughout the 1920s. Throughout this time period ukulele chord tablature was included in published sheet music for popular songs of the time. Besides being manufactured in Hawaii, many mainland instrument makers, namely CF Martin, Regal and Harmony included ukuleles in their production to take advantage of the demand.
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